


Leaving the Trail

by danceswithgary



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-01
Updated: 2010-05-01
Packaged: 2017-10-09 06:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/83842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceswithgary/pseuds/danceswithgary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another boring mission, which means that Rodney has time to think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leaving the Trail

[  
Click for fullsize](http://pics.livejournal.com/danceswithgary/pic/001s9gqs)

  
Another day, another mission to another world of forests, a bust as far as Rodney is concerned without even a hint of something worth investigating along the earthen path under sun-dappled leaves. Despite the threat of terminal boredom, Rodney doesn't vocalize his discontent. He's learned his lesson about complaining where Teyla can overhear. She's taken offense before at Rodney's dismissal of a people's customs, as well as what they might offer beyond technology, and Rodney doesn't want to experience the repercussions again. After all, he's a genius, and that includes an extraordinary ability to learn from his mistakes.

Well, most of the time he does, when it's not something too intangible like the proper nourishment of the human psyche or other New Age babble promulgated by the squishy sciences.

Off to the side of their group, Ronon doesn't appear as if he's bored. He's actually smiling, as he splits his attention between the shadows under the trees and Teyla's negotiations, but Rodney thinks Ronon's probably just glad that he's out of the city. John's a different story, more withdrawn than usual, content to let Teyla take the lead while he hangs back in the shadows, his eyes dark and distant. Rodney desperately wants to ask if John is all right, but that might open a certain can of worms that needs to be kept tightly closed and shoved into the darkest corner of a closet.

John's closet, that is, because Rodney's is already chock full of highly explosive subjects and he won't open it until he's certain he can handle the potential fallout.

In other words, it will most likely never happen.

For instance, take the subject of late night visits from lieutenant colonels breaking their own rule about what's permitted before missions. Rodney certainly hadn't been able to bring that rule up when John had shoved his way inside Rodney's room without bothering to wait for an invitation; Rodney's mouth had been too busy taking inventory of John's body. As it turned out, everything had been where it belonged; firm pressure of long, lean muscles, rasp of abrasive stubble and hair-roughened skin, scent and taste of sweat with something indefinably John that slid into hot, sweet-salt, exactly what Rodney had needed.

Rodney thinks he passed inspection, too, although John hadn't said anything to him beyond, 'more,' 'right there,' and 'fuck, yeah.' It's hard to tell because Rodney had woken up alone, just as he had the other three times, without any clue whether it will happen again or when. There's no question of what Rodney wants. Once had been enough to blow away all the fantasies that he'd kept safely hidden in a triple-locked mental box.

Thinking about the night before makes Rodney wish the air was cooler under the trees, and he hopes the shadows are deep enough to hide what's happening without his consent. It's almost impossible to will away the memory of John curled over him, his hands gliding across Rodney's skin, fingers pressing deep, and Rodney sucks in a shaky breath and blinks until he sees now and not then. Although Rodney hasn't said a word, it's apparent he's managed to reveal his interest in John by staring. John's mouth twitches on the side nearest to Rodney and then quirks into a brief one-sided smile. Without looking directly at Rodney, John whispers, "You okay, buddy?"

Rodney doesn't know how to answer the question without raising others, so he defaults to a simple, "I'm fine," which will potentially raise those questions anyway, because Rodney's never simply _fine_ on a mission. It's too late to change his answer to something more like him, though, because John nods without even a glance to see if Rodney's lying.

Then Rodney really is fine because, although John still doesn't look at him, he follows up the nod with a raspy, "I think I got up too early, should have stayed in bed longer."

All Rodney can say to that is, "Oh," and then John turns his head toward Rodney and smiles and that closet door swings wide open.

**Author's Note:**

> BJ Friday prompt: Eye-porn.


End file.
